Steph Curry's trainer Brandon Payne believes the Golden State Warriors star will return this season. He pointed to the final stretch of games as a target to build rhythm before the play-in and playoffs, while also stressing that if Curry is healthy, he's gonna play because of his love for competition and strong sense of responsibility to fans.
There is growing optimism around Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, as his long-time trainer shares a positive update on his potential return.
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Curry has been out with patellar tendinitis and has already missed 19 games, during which the Warriors went 6-13. Despite the struggles, belief remains that the superstar guard could be back before the end of the regular season.
His long-time trainer, Brandon Payne, is confident that Curry will return in time to impact the postseason.
"I do believe he'll play again this year," he said on The Line podcast. "And I think that any time you have Stephen Curry on your team, in a playoff setting, you have a chance to win. So as long as he's back and healthy, I'd say probably by the last six, seven, eight games of the season, where he's able to build a little bit of momentum heading into the play-in and hopefully the playoffs, of course they have a chance. Because they've got him on the floor."
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Payne also pointed to Curry's mindset, stressing that the Warriors guard is always eager to compete and understands his role as one of the faces of the league.
"If he can play, he's gonna play," Payne explained. "He loves competing, he loves to play. He also understands and values the fact that people wanna see him play, and fans want to come watch him play, and he enjoys that and loves that he has that responsibility to play for the people that love and support him.
"You know, it's just been a little bit kind of tricky, it's one of those things where you've got to be able to put back-to-back days together. I think that, right now, figuring out what the proper loading is for him to get him to that point is still where they kind of are. And they'll figure it out," he concluded.
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